


Riding Lessons

by Kalua



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Chocobos, F/M, M/M, Other, Riding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 19:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21433702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalua/pseuds/Kalua
Summary: Four strangers show up on Wiz's chocobo farm one day, and one immediately catches your eye...
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Riding Lessons

You were leading one of the chocobos back to its pen, but stopped when you heard a car drive up to the farm. It had been a while since the last time you’d had visitors, mostly thanks to Deadeye. What were your chances that the four boys in the car would turn out to be hunters and finally rid you of that blasted monster?

Absentmindedly, you petted the chocobo as you watched the strangers. The first one to catch your eyes was a young blond who looked downright ecstatic to be here—which was pretty cute, truth be told.

“Look, Noct! Chocobos!”

As if she wanted to reply, your chocobo let out a loud chirp and flapped her wings. The blond waved in response, causing you to giggle. You waved at him, too, before you took the chocobo back into the stable; none of the birds liked being outside for too long right now, not with Deadeye around.

When you came back, the four boys were already talking to Wiz. “…we have no choice but to suspend rentals,” was the first thing you heard. “But hold on, now—ain’t you the hunters that’ve been makin’ a mark? You reckon you could handle the likes of Deadeye?”

“Uh, well…” The black-haired boy crossed his arms.

The blond immediately turned to him. “Come on, Noct! He’s scaring the chocobos!”

Noct chuckled. “All right, sure. We’ll take care of it.”

You joined the group. “You really like chocobos, huh?”

“Of course!” The blond looked at you. “We can’t let anyone scare the poor birds!”

“Good luck, then. I’ve seen Deadeye once, he’s a big one. Be careful, ya hear?”

“We will, thank you,” the boy with the glasses said.

The group exchanged a few more words with Wiz and left. You just hoped they’d be successful.

You could already tell the boys had beaten Deadeye long before they came back. Almost as if a spell had been lifted, the chocobos stopped looking flighty, with some of the bolder ones even demanding to be let out at once. A far cry from the uneasiness they’d felt just hours ago.

You complied with their wishes. Normal monsters were no problem for them, and they didn’t normally leave the post, anyway. The rentals would take some time to pick back up, too, so you might as well let them get some fresh air and stretch their wings.

Once that was done, you went out to join Wiz and the boys.

“So, can we ride the chocobos now?” The blond asked right when you reached them.

Between their car and their clothes, the boys didn’t look like country folks. “Say, have y’all ever ridden on a chocobo before?”

Silence answered you, until the black-haired guy spoke again. “Uh… No.”

You shook your head. “Guess we gotta teach you, then. Normally, we’d charge for riding lessons, but since you got rid of Deadeye for us, I guess we can make an exception. For the basics, at least, but that’ll be enough to let you get around.”

You gave Wiz a questioning look—this was still his farm, after all—but he just shrugged. “Sure. I’ll get Camelia and Jenny, you take care of the instructions till then.”

He left, and you looked at the boys again. “So, do y’all have names, or do I need to give you some?”

“Well, I’m Noctis, and they’re Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto.” When their names were called, Gladio raised his hand, Ignis nodded, and Prompto waved.

At least now you had a name to put to the cutie’s face. “All right then. I’ll teach Prompto, the rest of y’all will get their teachers when the others are back.”

“Hey, any reason you picked me?”

“Figured if I got the first pick, might as well take the cutest.” You winked at him.

Prompto instantly flushed red. “Whaaaat? I mean, yeah, of course I’m the cutest!” And he looked pretty proud of it, too.

“Come on then, let’s fetch you some chocobos.” Luckily, the lesson chocobos shared their favorite spot, so no running back and forth.

Behind you, you could hear Prompto whisper—well, try to whisper—with his friends. “You hear that, Noct? They think I’m cute!”

“Sure heard it.”

Gladio chuckled. “Maybe you should go chat them up. That’ll help more than gushing about them to us.”

“I will! Buuut… Not right now. Gotta find the right words first, you know? Make a good impression.”

“Don’t stress yourself too much,” you said without even turning around. “You already made a pretty good first impression.”

While you couldn’t see it, you could easily imagine how shocked Prompto looked right now, if his loud gasp was any indication. “You heard us?”

“Well, none of you were exactly quiet,” Ignis noted.

By now, you’d reached the meadow the lesson chocobos liked so much. “Well boys, time for your first lesson.” When you turned around to face them, Prompto’s cheeks still had a hint of red on them. “You gotta get the chocobos yourself. Hm…” You took a moment to look the boys over; everyone involved would have a far easier time if their chocobo’s personality fit them. “Gladio, you’ll get Zero, the white one with brown flecks. Ignis, take Joy, she’s the blue one. Noctis, you can take Leta, the green one, and Prompto, you’ll get the chestnut colored one, Mary.”

One by one, you handed the boys chocobo halters. This should be fun to watch! Of course, you’d step in if needed, but first, you might as well enjoy the show.

Ignis did surprisingly well; he approached his chocobo calmly, and it didn’t take long for him to put the halter on.

Noctis was similar, though Leta did dodge him a few times.

Gladio, meanwhile, was hilarious to watch. He started out doing it well enough, but then got impatient, causing Zero to run off before waiting and giving him another chance.

But the one you watched the most was Prompto. It was obvious he didn’t have much experience, but he was gentle with his chocobo—spoke softly to her, made sure he didn’t move too fast, all that. Of course, Mary noticed his lack of experience immediately, and decided to play with him for a bit, dodging him at the last second. Prompto was a good sport about it, though, and after a while, Mary allowed him to put on the halter.

By now, Gladio had gotten his bird, too, though he seemed a bit more tired than he’d expected to be.

“All right then, follow me.”

You usually didn’t have that many new students at once, but the chocobo race track should do well enough as a practice space; it was big enough that nobody should get in each other’s way.

“Come on Prompto, you’re with me.” You smiled at him. Was he blushing again? Cute guy. Even the chocobo seemed to notice, as she let out a chirp and nudged Prompto a bit closer to you. Well, what better kind of wingman than one who actually had wings, after all?

Prompto followed you. “So, um… This is probably a dumb question, but… Anything I should pay attention to…?”

“Yeah, actually.” You stepped up next to him, your knuckles gently brushing against his. “Make sure the saddle’s secure. When the chocobo isn’t being ridden, the straps should get loosened to let them relax. But when you want to mount, you need to tighten them again or the saddle will slip sideways.” You showed him how, then loosened them again. “All right, now it’s your turn.”

Prompto learned pretty quickly. That was nice; more time for him in the saddle, and maybe some more time to chat afterwards, too, depending on how fast the others were.

“Good. Now, put your left foot in the stirrup and swing yourself up there.”

You let him do that a few more times before you started the actual riding part. Between tries, Prompto often whispered a few words of encouragement to Mary; the birds would be in good hands when he rented them.

The lesson itself progressed smoothly. Once or twice Prompto almost slipped, but he was new to the whole thing, after all. Had you had more time, he’d probably become a good rider fairly quickly; for now, though, you had to focus on the basics.

But even so, by the time you were done, it was late afternoon.

You didn’t even wait for Wiz to make a suggestion. “So, do you guys wanna stay the night? It’s getting dark soon, after all.”

Noctis nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He glanced at Prompto and grinned. “I’m pretty sure at least one of us will _really_ enjoy it, too.”

“Aw, shut up.” Prompto lightly pushed Noctis away, but even in the dimming light, you could easily see him blush.

You couldn’t help but giggle. “Come on then, let’s get back to the stables. I’ll show y’all how to take care of the birds afterwards.”

Later that night, you made one last round to check on the birds. Being out after sunset was always kind of creepy, even if the area was well lit. As much as you loved spending time with the chocobos, you always rushed the night check; at least it usually went smoothly.

Usually, though, there were no whispered words coming from the stables. Daemons couldn’t talk, could they? Chocobos certainly didn’t…

Just to be safe, you grabbed a nearby pitchfork—And relaxed once you looked through the doors. Sitting there, talking to his lesson chocobo, was Prompto.

“Geez, did you have to scare me like that?” You were grinning; it wasn’t really his fault, after all.

Hearing your voice, Prompto jumped up. Seemed like you’d startled him worse than the other way around. “Uh, sorry…” He rubbed the back of his head. “I just… Wanted to spend a bit more time with her.” He carefully petted Mary’s beak, and got a happy chirp in response.

“Understandable.” You went to the box and leaned against it, right next to Prompto. “They’re great animals, aren’t they?”

“Uh, yeah…” Prompto avoided your eyes, but it seemed like he was looking for something to talk about. “I kind of envy you for working here.”

“Aww, don’t. It’s not all fun and bird cuddling.” You stroked Mary’s neck. “But I love it anyway. And, hey, if you like it here that much, you can come and visit again.”

“I’d love to!” Prompto finally took his eyes off the chocobo to look at you instead.

“You like the birds that much?”

“Them, too, and uh… Well…” He trailed off and averted his eyes.

You just smiled. “I’d be really happy if you could come and visit us again, you know.”

And when Prompto met your eyes again, you leaned forward to give him a quick kiss.

He blushed red as a tomato, though you probably didn’t look too different, either.

“Maybe I can get your number, though, so I can at least talk to you till then?”

“Of course!” Prompto hurried to get his phone, almost dropping it in the process.

“Easy there, tiger. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna run away.” You pulled out your own phone, and opened the contacts. “All right, go.”

Once you’d gotten his number, you sent him a short text just involving a little heart, so he’d have your number as well. “Great. Feel free to write me if you have any questions about chocobos… Or, you know, just in general.”

“I will! As long as you want me to…”

You ruffled his hair. “Sure I do, or I wouldn’t have given you the number, would I?” You hesitated for barely a heartbeat, then leaned over again to give Prompto another kiss—a longer one this time.

He carefully laid his hands on your waist, as if he was scared he might break you, and kissed you back, his mouth warm and soft against your lips.

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of my WIPs for way too long lol. But now it's done :D


End file.
